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Whichever we feel valid we’ll just have to remember to preface whether we see it in a seasonal or serial context. My previous post I feel encapsulates both the seasonal and serial arc.
It did 🙂 I was just trying to talk things out.
I think some of these might appear through multiple seasons; for example the supernatural aid. August wasn’t exactly the wise old wizard. He had no magic himself and in the end he failed to get Emma to believe: that was Henry.
Rumple and Regina are both better candidates. Rumple twice now (Cricket Game and Miller’s Daughter) has helped Emma use her magic and taught her to channel her power. And in the ABC “archetype” promo he’s labeled as the wizard (not saying ABC sat down and read Campbell or a Jung-ian type book of archetypes but I noticed it at least).
[adrotate group="5"]"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"If the role of mythic mentor is to be Regina that would take on enormously more symbolic resonance than Rumple. Regina and Emma are already connected by Henry, connected by magic, connected by traumatic life paths. If Regina takes on Emma as a pupil it would potentially further strengthen the connection between the two. If Regina teaches Emma and Emma learns more about Regina in the process she would be in a much better place to confront and redeem Regina in the future. Cause its clear the family aren’t going to let her die one way or another cause if they truly believe in family always finds one another, good always wins and the other ideals when push comes to shove they’ll rescue her. That Kerrie Roberts song just keeps getting more and more resonant for Regina.
A thought just occurred to me. Have you ever seen Dark Crystal? If you haven’t w/o giving away the plot to much the forces of good and evil are encapsulated in two magical races the gentle Mystics and the evil Skeksis. Likewise the power of light is reduced to small shard of crystal and the powers of darkness reside in the title artifact. If we transpose Emma and Regina into those places their magical connection becomes more of a tale of restoration, unification and transcendence.
Custodian of Graham's darts, Rumple's spindle and Robin's quiver
If the role of mythic mentor is to be Regina that would take on enormously more symbolic resonance than Rumple. Regina and Emma are already connected by Henry, connected by magic, connected by traumatic life paths.
I think I would prefer it to be Regina actually. When Rumple has instructed students, it has only been for nefarious purposes (Cora and then Regina) and he wanted them to become dark. I think as someone who had every intention of saying good, of not becoming her mother, Regina would actually understand the draw of magic and how to fight against the desires of it. Sorta like a sponsor in AA. And my Rumple has a whole host of other things I’d like him to work on.
Have you ever seen Dark Crystal?
I have!
If we transpose Emma and Regina into those places their magical connection becomes more of a tale of restoration, unification and transcendence.
I think one of the messages that ONCE has always tried to get across is that there is darkness and light inside everyone. Before he was the Dark One, Rumple was a father and a humble spinner. But you see elements of that man in him today, with Belle and sometimes with Bae. Before she was the Evil Queen, Regina was a good girl who only wanted a happy ending and her true love. And again, that still comes out. One of my favorite Regina moments is in 202 when she tells Henry that she doesn’t know how to love very well and then lets him go with David, thereby trying to break the abusive cycle of her own past. And conversely, David has held a gun at George’s head and threatened him with murder and Snow manipulated Regina into killing Cora. I think for the breech to be healed it requires both the light and the dark. Emma may be true love incarnate and could break the curse but I think the true restoration of not only the kingdom but of the characters lives is going to require both the good and the bad. To boil it down to a nice little phrase: there cannot be light with the dark, and there cannot be dark without the light.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Also, while Emma is our “hero” in the Campbell monomyth outline at the start of your post, I think it could work for just about every character we have. I wonder if we would begin to sketch that out as well.
I’m gonna take Rumple, like I do.
1) Call: We don’t know too much about his early life but his call to adventure (to being a man, in essence) might be when he joined up for war. It was a way to prove that was not his father and that he could live outside of his fathers shadow.
2)Refusal: while he did answer “the call” he also then rejected it when he decided to not go into battle and then shattered his ankle. Of course the irony is that by doing this he became his father insomuch as he was labeled a coward.
3)Supernatural Aid: Zoso in the form of manipulation was very much a wise old beggar who turned out to be a wizard. He passed on (literally) his magic to Rumple.
4) The Crossing of the First Threshold: I’m torn here but maybe killing Milah?
*jumping around a bit*
6) The Road of Trials: deciding if he should kill Henry or not which is still playing out in S3
9) The Atonement of the Father: I think this is going to be the next big crossroad for Rumple this season. Whatever happens when he has a chance to really confront his daddy issues will decide the rest of his journey.
you wanna do Regina?
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"True, the end state is transcendence of pairs of opposites Step # 16 on the Monomyth. Here’s hoping that what was sundered and undone shall be whole.
Custodian of Graham's darts, Rumple's spindle and Robin's quiver
Also, while Emma is our “hero” in the Campbell monomyth outline at the start of your post, I think it could work for just about every character we have. I wonder if we would begin to sketch that out as well. I’m gonna take Rumple, like I do. 1) Call: We don’t know too much about his early life but his call to adventure (to being a man, in essence) might be when he joined up for war. It was a way to prove that was not his father and that he could live outside of his fathers shadow. 2)Refusal: while he did answer “the call” he also then rejected it when he decided to not go into battle and then shattered his ankle. Of course the irony is that by doing this he became his father insomuch as he was labeled a coward. 3)Supernatural Aid: Zoso in the form of manipulation was very much a wise old beggar who turned out to be a wizard. He passed on (literally) his magic to Rumple. 4) The Crossing of the First Threshold: I’m torn here but maybe killing Milah? *jumping around a bit* 6) The Road of Trials: deciding if he should kill Henry or not which is still playing out in S3 9) The Atonement of the Father: I think this is going to be the next big crossroad for Rumple this season. Whatever happens when he has a chance to really confront his daddy issues will decide the rest of his journey. you wanna do Regina?
By all means, sounds like a plan.
Custodian of Graham's darts, Rumple's spindle and Robin's quiver
Regina
1) The Call to Adventure: The rescue of young Snow from the horse, a demonstration of a selfless, loving and heroic individual she is capable of being which sets everything in motion.
2) Refusal of the Call: The discovery of her destined soul mate in the form of the “Man with the Lion Tattoo” but, riven with fear of betraying her lost love Daniel and manipulating into seeing anger as all she has left she flees into Rumples clutches.
3) Supernatural Aid: In Regina’s case this falls to Rumple who takes on the role of mentor and shapes Regina as his “monster” by the time we arrive at the breaking of the curse Rumple’s aid is suspended and Regina is now a loose cannon.
4) Crossing the First Threshold: The lifting of the Curse and self-conscience decision to begin her reclamation.
5) The Belly of the Whale: The framing for Archie’s murder and her mother’s murder return her to the darkness.
6) The Road of Trials: Unfolding (activating the Hatter’s hat, defusing the spell over the Wishing Well, destroying the Curse of the Empty Hearted, defusing the Trigger)
7) The Meeting with Goddess: Indeterminate (perhaps her reconnection with Tink after all those years)
8) Woman as Temptress: Indeterminate
9) Atonement with the Father: Difficult to determine (In the sense of reconnecting with the broader family) Ongoing, but beginning with her efforts to redeem herself for Henry’s sake growing to a willingness at least in the eyes of her extended family to sacrifice herself to ensure a safe getaway from the Trigger. (In a narrow sense) Being permitted by her long-lost love to open her heart and love again and letting her mother back in and absent Snow cursing her heart Regina finally for the briefest of moments experiences the love and acceptance of the mother she has always loved.
10) through 17) TBD (To Be Determined)
Custodian of Graham's darts, Rumple's spindle and Robin's quiver
9) Atonement with the Father: (In the sense of reconnecting with the broader family) Ongoing, but beginning with her efforts to redeem herself for Henry’s sake growing to a willingness at least in the eyes of her extended family to sacrifice herself to ensure a safe getaway from the Trigger.
I wonder if this part of her journey could also be coming to see Cora for who she really was. Her mother still has Regina’s heart very much in her cold dead hands. If Regina could open up about the horrible abuse she suffered, then she may connect with the whole family but also be able to let go of some of anger that she has bottled up toward her mother.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"
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